The Second Examination

After bundling up the Tan brothers' corpses, Xiao Ran turned to Shao Hongzhang. The guy was still examining the Civil Pillar in his hands, turning it over and over. Xiao Ran frowned and walked over, then gave him an annoyed kick.

"Don't bother. Your plan won't work."

The moment he'd taken hold of the Civil Pillar, Xiao Ran had realized how naive Shao Hongzhang's idea was. How could the methods Huang Chao had left behind be so easily undone?

Besides...

Xiao Ran's mind was full of doubts. The Ghost Capital's design was far too intricate to be ordinary. Could Huang Chao alone really have accomplished all this?

It wasn't that Xiao Ran looked down on Huang Chao.

Huang Chao was every bit his equal in talent, strength, and even looks.

But even if Huang Chao were a Celestial, even if he held the Imperial Seal, turning the Ghost Capital into what it was now would have been no easy feat.

It reminded Xiao Ran of the Ghost Capital model Ghost Scholar Tree had once shown him. It seemed to conceal some kind of mystery, but before it could be revealed, a golden arrow had pierced through it, nearly annihilating it...

"Wait, those models..." Inspiration struck Xiao Ran. "Could they be connected to the secrets of feng shui?"

"Dong! Dong!! Dong-dong—!!"

The muffled toll of a bell rang out without warning. A dark red pillar of light flared in the distant sky, like a blood-red sign pointing the way.

"The appointed hour has arrived! All examinees, hurry to the Heavenly Gate and assemble!" A sharp shout rang out amid the bells, urging everyone toward the pillar of light.

"S-should we go?" Shao Hongzhang looked at Xiao Ran. After studying the Civil Pillar for so long, he'd finally had to admit that